A history of bad blood between two families spilt over into a brutal bashing in Youngtown last year.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Supreme Court in Launceston was shown terrifying CCTV footage from the home of Philip Keverall Adams in which he was bashed by three men with a blockbuster or log splitter, a blunt instrument and by kicks and punches.
In other news:
Steven Anthony Dunne, 28, of Youngtown, and Paul Lance Broad, 25, pleaded guilty to a charge of wounding over the attack on June 17, 2019. A third man, allegedly involved in the attack, will be tried by a Supreme Court jury.
Crown prosecutor John Ransom said the Adams family had known Dunne at primary school for several years and relations soured after Mrs Adams told her sons Thomas and Anthony not to invite him back to the family home.
"There were a number of incidents over the years and police were called on multiple occasions," he said.
The court heard from Dunne's defence counsel Claire White that Anthony Adams and Dunne had a dispute over Dunne's ex-partner. Mr Ransom said CCTV was installed after burnouts were performed outside the Adams' Brooklyn Road house.
On the night Mr Adams, 57, went outside holding a small bat when a dark Commodore performed a burnout.
"He appeared to strike the rear of the car," he said.
"Two men enter the driveway of the house holding a log splitter and strike a Nissan Navara."
"Dunne arrives and takes the weapon off [unknown] and strikes Mr Adams to the legs as he wrestles with Broad."
The fight includes Mr Adams being struck to the back with the baseball bat and to the head.
Further damage is inflicted in the Nissan before the men leave.
Mr Adams was taken to the LGH at 11.45 pm and injuries include lip lacerations, broken teeth, scalp lacerations and an abdomen laceration.
CT scans show a fractured shoulder and vertebra fracture.
In a victim impact statement, Mr Adams said he had lost eight teeth which cost $2500 and vehicle damage of $12,000.
"I remember spitting teeth out and wondering if I was going to die and my wife was going to see it," he said.
"The attack was really vicious and they were trying to get at my knees."
Mr Ransom said the men had acted in concert with subjective recklessness.
"This was a serious case of wounding... there was an element of planning with the weapons in the car," he said.
Defence counsel Evan Hughes said Broad was intoxicated and believed that the idea was to perform a burnout as part of a "tit for tat thing".
"He did not emerge until the car is struck," he said.
Ms White said there was a low-level feud involving ongoing unpleasantness following the dispute between Anthony Adams and Dunne.
She said Anthony Adams had done doughnuts in a car outside Dunne's home that night and the sole intention had been in reciprocating.
Dunne had initially believed it was Anthony who was being attacked when he got out of the car unarmed.
"It was a stupid retaliation that ended up out of control," she said.
Ms White said Dunne would give evidence at the trial of the third accused.
Mr Ransom said that by the time Dunne took the weapon it was obvious who it was.
Justice Michael Brett remanded both men in custody for sentence on August 26 at 4.15pm.
Sign up to one of our newsletters:
Nick Clark
I am the Supreme and Magistrates Court reporter for the Examiner for the past 18 months. My journalism career has clicked over 30 years and encompasses four different spells at Tasmanian newspapers.
I am the Supreme and Magistrates Court reporter for the Examiner for the past 18 months. My journalism career has clicked over 30 years and encompasses four different spells at Tasmanian newspapers.
